Automatic clutch



April 21, 1942. A. v.- BEDFORD 2,280,633

' AUTOMATIC purrca Filed. April 9, 1940' Patented Apr. 21, 1942 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AU'roMA'nc ow'rcn Aida V. Bedford, Collingswood, N. J.

Application April 9, 1940, Serial No. 328,613

17 Claims.

The present invention relates to power transmitting apparatus and more particularly to automatic clutches.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, a multiple speed transmission system comprising a gear box and my automatic clutch is interposed between the engine and the propeller shaft of a motor vehicle. In previous types of transmission systems, it is necessary to disengage the clutch manually (or by automatic means) when the gear ratio is changed, in order to avoid producing a shock which might injure the mechanism or discomfort the passengers. When shifting is done manually, this requirement complicates the operation of a motor vehicle and results in appreciable intervals of time during which the drive is interrupted. Automatic transmission systems have previously been designed which automatically execute the shifting operations, including the releasing of the clutch in accordance with combinations of vehicle speed, torque, accelerator position, or other variables. Such automatic transmissions in general have been very complicated and have required critical adjustments of the clutch or clutches to avoid shocks and to avoid intervals during which no power is transmitted and at the same time to avoid possibility of partially locking the transmission due to being in two speed ratios simultaneously.

In the present invention, I provide means for continuously and automatically adjusting the pressure of the clutch plates to an amount just adequate to transmit the torque required to drive the vehicle with a minute amount of slip. This adjustment is such as to compensate for variable load conditions due to wind, road conditions, and normal acceleration. Contrary to usual practice, I locate the clutch between the gear box and the propeller shaft. When it is desired to change gears, the shift is made abruptly, whereupon the clutch slippage increases quickly to an amount such as to accommodate the change of gears. No shock is transmitted to the propeller shaft because the clutch is momentarily unable to transmit the greater torque. Immediately after the shift in gears is made, a clutch control member gradually accelerates, causing the clutch pressure to be readjusted gradually to the condition that will provide a minute amount of slip under the new load conditions occasioned by the new gear ratio.

The clutch pressure adjusting mechanism continually compares the output rotation of the clutch to the input rotation and adjusts the clutch pressure accordingly to provide the desired rotation ratio even though the coefficient of fric tion of the clutch plates should change, thereby avoiding the need for critical manual adjustment.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel transmission and self-actuating clutch of comparatively simple, rugged, and low cost construction.

Another object is to provide an automatic clutch for a vehicle which absorbs shocks caused by shifting gears to prevent them from being transmitted to the drive wheels.

A further object is to provide an automatic clutch adaptable for use with a gear box in which gear shifting is automatic, the combination comprising an automatic transmission system.

Another object is to provide a clutch which automatically engages at a predetermined rate when the input shaft is rotated.

Another object is to provide a clutch which automatically engages when the input shaft is rotated and at a rate which can be altered and controlled manually by the operator.

Another object is to provide control for a clutch to minimize its tendency to grab or chatter.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like numerals designate like or corresponding parts in the several views or embodiments and in which:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section, of the preferred embodiment of my invention as used with a gear box in a transmission system,

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section, of a second embodiment of my invention having several additional features,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view illustrating particularly the pawl and ratchet taken on the line 3-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section, of a third embodiment of my invention, and

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating particularly the method of supporting the auxiliary shaft and taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, numeral l5 represents an input shaft driven by a conventional internal combustion engine not shown and numeral 5| represents an output shaft by means of which the connected load is driven. Between input shaft l5 and output shaft 5| is a multiple speed transmission system comprising an automatic clutch and a gear box' I having three speed ratios, 1. e., low, second, and high (direct drive). Clutch 65 and gear box I are connected by an intermediate shaft 2|.

The gear box I comprises a set of gears 2,- I5, 25, I4, 23, 22, and 32, three clutches 3, l1, and 26, two one-way drive clutches l0 and 3|, and

the usual shaft bearings and supporting case.

The bearings and case are omitted from the drawing for the sake of clarity. The gears 2, ll,

. between shafts 2| and 5] 25, I4, and 32 aresecurely fastened to their respectiveshafts I, I5, 24, I3, and 33, and gears 22 and 23 are securely fastened to shaft 2|. The gear I5 is in constant mesh with gears 2' and 25. Similarly, gear 23 is always in mesh with gear l4 and gear 22 is always in mesh with gear 32.

The one-way drive clutches l and 3| may be of the well known cam and roller type such as described in the specification and illustrated in Fig. 4 of U. S. Patent No, 2,164,086 to Mack D. Rust, or may be any other suitable type, many of which are well known in the art. Clutches 3, l1, and 25 are simple clutches such as are commonly used for abruptly making and breaking a driving connection between two shafts. Each clutch (such as clutch 3) consists of two friction members 4 and 5, a collar 9, and a yoke 5. Friction members 4 and 5 are engaged and disengaged by operation of the yoke 6 and collar 9, either manually or by automatic means, in a well known manner. Similarly, clutches l1 and 26 are engaged and disengaged by operation of the yokes l8 and 21, respectively.

Friction member 4 of clutch 3 is fastened to shaft I and friction member 5 is fastened to shaft 8 to which driving member H of one-way clutch I0 is also fastened. Driven member l2 of the one-way clutch I0 is fastened to shaft l3. Clutches l0 and 3| are arranged to drive only in the direction of the arrows C and D, respectively. Hence when clutch 3 is engaged, the engine drives intermediate shaft 2| through shaft l5, gears l6 and 2, shaft 1, clutch 3, shaft 8, oneway clutch l9, shaft l3, and gears l4 and 23. As indicated in the drawing by the relative sizes of the gears, this is the low speed drive. Similarly, when clutch 25 is engaged, the engine drives shaft 2| through shaft I5, gears I6 and 25, shaft 24, clutch 26, shaft 28, one-way clutch 3|, shaft 33, and gears 32 and 22. This is the second speed drive. When clutch I1 is engaged, the engine drives shaft 2| directly through shaft l5 and clutch II. It should be noted that, due to the use of the two one-way drive clutches l9 and 3|, any one of the clutches 3, l1, and 26 may be engaged at any time, or, any two or all three of said clutches may be engaged at the same time without locking the mechanism. This allows shifting of gear ratios without interrupting the transmission of driving torque.

The automatic clutch 65 consists of the simple friction clutch 42 and the automatic control means to be described. The friction clutch 42 comprises a. driving friction disc 39 securely fastened to shaft 2|, a housing assembly consisting of a drum 44 and end plate 4| fastened thereto, and a driven friction disc 48 slidably splined in drum 44 in such a manner that it is axially mov able relative thereto. The disc 39 is lined with suitable friction material 96 and 61. Drum 44 is securely fastened to output shaft 5 I A plurality of clutch operating levers 59, pivoted on pins 413 in internal brackets 46 of housing 44, are arranged to bear on nubs 41 on friction disc 48. A small amount of pressure applied to the free ends of levers 59 will therefore-cause friction member 39 to be squeezed between friction disc 48 and end plate 4| with a considerable pressure which is sufficient to transmit the driving torque This construction and operation of clutches is well known to those familiar with the clutch art.

Engagement of clutch 42 is controlled by a threaded clutch control member 53 which engages the output shaft 5| by means of threads 52 cut externally on shaft 5| and cooperating threads 57 cut internally in control member 53. The direction of threads 52 and 51 is such that if control member 53 rotates faster than shaft 5| in the direction of the arrow B, member 53 will be screwed toward clutch 42, bearing against the free ends of levers 50, causing them to apply increasing pressure between friction members 48, 39, and 4|. Similarly, if control member 53 rotates slower than shaft 5|, member 53 will be screwed away from clutch 42, thus decreasing the pressure between members 48, 39, and 4|. A collar 49 fastened to shaft 5| and the drum 44 limit the axial movement of member 53 relative to shaft 5|. From the above description, it will be seen that levers 50 and nubs 41 comprise a coupling means by which the axial motion of :gntrol member 53 causes motion of friction disc Clutch control member 53 is driven by means of a plurality of arms 45 from a flywheel 38 rotatably supported on intermediate shaft 2 The ends 40 of arms 45 are free to slide in holes in the rim of flywheel 38 as required when cont ol member 53 moves axially relative to shaft 5 I, Flywheel 38 is free to rotate relative to shaft 2| and is driven therefrom by a set of gears 36, 34, 59, and 31. Gear 36 is securely fastened to shaft 2| and is in constant mesh with and drives gears 34. Gear 37 is securely fastened to flywheel 38 and is always in mesh with and driven by gear 59, Gears 34 and 59 are rotatably mounted on a pin 35 supported by a bracket fastened to the supporting case (not shown) of the gear box 1. Gear 34 drives gear 59 through a compressible washer 58 made of suitable friction material (such as cork). Pressure on the friction washer 58 may be adjusted by means of the nut 6| on the threaded end of pin 35.

The relative sizesof gears 39, 34, 59, and 31 are such that the rotative speed of flywheel 38 and clutch control member 53 is normally minutely slower than the speed of shaft 2|. For the purpose of this description, it will be assumed that gear 36 has 3l teeth, gear 34 has 32 teeth, gear 59 has 33 teeth, and gear 31 has 32 teeth. The ratio of gear 31 to gear 36 is therefore 1023 to 1024, or in other words, the speed difference between shaft 2| and the flywheel 38 is normally about 0.1 per cent. It will be understood that in actual practice some other amount of speed difference may be used.

Gears 34 and 59, with the compressible washer 58 between them, constitute a torque-limiting device. The maximum torque transmittable between gears 34 and 59, and hence between shaft 2| and flywheel 38, is therefore determined by the pressure between the said gears and the physical properties of the friction material.

In describing the operation, it is assumed that initially the clutches 3, ll, 25, and 42 are disengaged and that the output shaft 5| is not rotating. Input shaft I5 is driven in the direction of the arrow A by a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine. In order to start the load in low gear, clutch 3 is abruptly engaged by means of the yoke 6, causing shaft 2| to reach full low gear speed very quickly. Shaft 5| still does not rotate because clutch 42 is not yet engaged.

Although shaft 2| and gears 33;and 34 quickly reach low gear speed, flywheel 38 does not rotate at the same speed immediately because of its relatively high inertia and because of the fact that the torque transmittable to it is definitely limited by the torque-limiting device comprising gears 34 and 59 and friction washer 58. As the inertia of flywheel 38 is gradually overcome, the speed of flywheel 38 becomes almost equal to the speed of shaft 2 I, the final speed difference being determined by the overall ratio of gears 34, 34, 53, and 31, assumed to be 0.1 per cent. The rate of acceleration of flywheel 38 may be made as low as desired by increasing the inertia of the flywheel 33 and by decreasing the pressure on friction material 58. From the above description, it will be understood that the torque-limiting device and the flywheel 38 comprises a rotary shockabsorbing filter in that by their cooperative action they transmit the mean speed of shaft 2| to the control member 53 but do not transmit the sudden changes in speed.

Since flywheel 38 drives clutch control member 53 through arms 45, control member 53 is also accelerated at the same low rate as flywheel 38, that is to say, without serious shock or jerk. As explained previously, the rotation' of control member 53 tends to cause clutch 42 to engage and thereby causes the output shaft to rotate. This rotation of shaft 5| would tend to disengage clutch 42 were it not for the greater speed of control member 53 in the same direction. Since the two tendencies are opposite in effect, that is, they tend to nullify each other, adjustment of the clutch pressure ceases only when the speed of the output shaft 5| is equal to that of control member 53. For example, if output shaft 5| is slower than control member 53, the differential or net effect will be to further engage clutch (2, thereby reducing the slip and raising the speed of the output shaft 5|. Conversely, if output shaft 5| is faster than control member 53 (as might obtain when the load on shaft 5| has low inertia and the input shaft 2| is suddenly decelerated as by gearshifting), the relative rotation of control member 53 and threads 52 will reduce the clutch pressure, allowing greater slipping, so that output shaft 5| will slow down. In other words, the pressure of clutch 42 will be adjusted constantly and automatically to obtain the condition that will cause the speed of output shaft 5| to be the same as that of control member 53. Hence it is evident that control member 53 is a plot in that it controls clutch 42 such as to cause output shaft 5| to follow it in speed.

Having established the fact that the pressure of clutch 42 is regulated at all times such as to cause the speed of output shaft 5| to follow substantially the speed of control member 53, and having explained previously that control member 53 and flywheel 38 are accelerated gradually to a final speed minutey slower (assumed 0.1 per cent) than intermediate shaft 2|, it is evident that within a considerable time after clutch 3 is abruptly engaged, the speed of output shaft 5| is minutely slower than the speed of intermediate shaft 2 I. In other words, the clutch 42 has been adjusted automatically to slip continuously an average of 0.1 per cent. Therefore, under this condition the pressure on the clutch is just barely adequate to transmit the torque required by the load.

Drive through the low gear channel including clutch 3 might continue indefinitely but generally it would soon be desirable to shift to second gear. This is done by abruptly engaging clutch .26, leaving clutch 3 engaged, thus allowing one-way drive clutch ID to over-run, or free-wheel," to avoid locking. Due to the high kinetic energy portant feature of the apparatus that even of the motor, shaft 2| will be driven momentarily at a considerably higher speed, but clutch 42 will immediately slip a-large amount, perhaps as much as per cent, even though in second gear the steady torque which the motor can provide in shaft 2| is less than in first gear. It is an imthough the speed of shaft 2| increases suddenly when clutch 28 is engaged, no jerk or shock is transmitted to the load on shaft 5| because the pressure adjustment on clutch 42 had been previously automatically set to just transmit the torque required to drive the load at a relatively momentarily flxed speed and because a relatively long time is required to accelerate flywheel 38 through the friction washer 58 and thereby tighten up clutch 42. However, within a short time after clutch 26 is engaged, flywheel 38 will reach a speed minutely slower than the new, or second gear, speed of shaft 2|. Control member 53 therefore readjusts clutch 42 until the speed difference between shafts 2 and 5| is again the same as the overall speed difference between gears 36, 34, 59, and 31 (assumed 0.1 per cent).

As to whether flywheel 38 accelerates or decelerates and as to whether the clutch 42 is tightened or loosened after the shift, depends mostly upon throttle opening of the engine. For example, if the road were smooth, the throttle opening were fixed at a moderate position, and the vehicle speed were moderate as in starting normally on an open highway, the flywheel 38 would be accelerated but not at quite as great a rate, as the output shaft 5|. Hence clutch 42 would be loosened. This is reasonable since the torque normally transmitted is less for second gear than for first gear. 0n the other hand if the throttle opening had been greatly increased immediately after shifting into second gear, the clutch 42 would have been tightened. This driving condition might occur when low gear has been used in order to obtain a very low speed instead of high torque. But the important features of the above-described operation are that a shift has been made from first to second gear without interruption of driving torque and without any jerk or shock being transmitted to the load.

Drive through the, second gear channel including clutch 26 might continue indefinitely, but generally it is desirable to shift to high speed (direct drive). This is done by abruptly engaging clutch l1, leaving clutches 3 and 26 eninput shaft. However, when the road conditions or an increase of vehicle acceleration are such as to require increased torque, the slipping of the clutch will increase momentarily and cause a relative rotation of clutch control member 53 and output shaft 5| such as to tighten clutch 42 and restore the slip to the 0.1 per cent value.

In general, continuously slipping clutches have been undesirable in the past on account of wear and wast'ng of power. However, when the slip is maintained at a value as low as 0.1 per cent,

which would consume only one-twentieth horsepower out of say fio'horsepower transmitted. it should not be veryserious. Of course by the cnoice of suitable gears to drive flywheel 88 the slip could be reduced still further if desired.

If it is desired to shift into a lower gear ratio from high gear, clutch I1 may be disengaged sure on the washer I58 may be adjusted by means I of the nut on the threaded end of pin I35. The

abruptly. The speed of output shaft will therefore decrease quickly, if the shaft is loaded, unless of course the engine speed is increased immediately after clutch 26 is disengaged. In either case, the amount of engagement vof clutch 42 is quickly, smoothly, and automatically readjusted, if necessary, until the speed of output shaft 5| is again 0.1 per cent slower than the speed of intermediate shaft 2|. The change in gear ratio from second gear to low gear is made in a similar manner by abruptly disengaging clutch 25.

If the load on output shaft 5| should decrease to zero and start to reverse, that is, if shaft 5| should tend, to drive the engine (as would happen in the case of a vehicle running down hill), clutch 42 would disengage completely in an attempt to maintain the 0.1 per cent speed difierence between shafts 2| and 5|. The engine is therefore disconnected from the drive wheels and the vehicle is free-wheeling. This condition will exist in the embodiment of Fig. 1 as long as the speed of output shaft 5| is greater than the speed of the engine. A means of preventing the above-described free-wheeling action is incorporated in another embodiment of my invention to be described later.

In order to reverse the direction of motion of the vehicle without reversing the direction of rotation of the engine, a reverse gear may be interposed betweenoutput shaft 5| and the drive wheels. The operation of my invention will be the same when the vehicle is in reverse as de* scribed above for the normal direction of motion.

Particular reference is now made to Figs. 2 and 3 illustrating the second embodiment of my invention. In the transmission system shown,

input shaft I5, output shaft 5|, automatic clutch 42, and other parts, are identical to the correspondingly numbered parts of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. The gear box I01 is similar to gear box 1 of Fig. 1 except that additional control features are shown in connection with the high gear drive portion. The low and second gear portionsare omitted from Fig. 2 for the sake of clarity. In this embodiment, the threads 51 cut internally in clutch control member 53 engage cooperating threads I52 cut externally on a sleeve 84 which is rotatably supported on output shaft 5I.' As in the first embodiment, the direction of threads 51 and I52 is such that if control member 53 rotates faster than sleeve 84, member 53 will be screwed toward clutch 42, bearing against the free ends of levers 50, cansing them to increase the engagement of clutch 42 as previously described.

The sleeve 84 is free to rotate relative to shaft 5| and is driven therefrom by a set of gears I36, I34, I59 and I31. Gear I36 is securely fastened to shaft 5| and is in constant mesh with and drives gear I34. Gear I31 is securely fastened to sleeve 84 and is always in mesh with and driven by gear I59. Gears I34 and I59 are rotatably mounted on a pin I35 supported by a bracket I60 fastened to the supporting case (not shown) of gear box I01. Gear I34 drives gear I59 through a compressible washer I 58 made of suitable friction material, such as cork. Presrelative sizes of gears I36, I34, I59, and I3Iare such that the rotative speed of sleeve 84 is minutely faster than the speed of shaft 5|, say 0.1 per cent faster. In the description of the embodiment of Fig. 1, it was shown how a small diiference in speeds can be obtained easily with a set of gears having nearly the same numbers of teeth.

Means for manually stopping the rotation of gear I59, and therefore the rotation of gear I31 and sleeve 84, is provided in the form of a brake 86 pivotally supported on a small extension of bracket I60. When the end of the brake 86 is moved in the direction of the arrow E, gear I59 is engaged and stopped from rotating. Slipping then occurs between the washer I58 and gear I59 or gear I34, or both.

Clutch control member 53 is driven by means of a plurality of arms 45 from a flywheel I38 rotatably supported on intermediate shaft 2| between an axially movable collar 16 splined to shaft 2| and a ratchet wheel pinned to shaft 2|. flywheel I38 and ratchet wheel 80 and another such washer 18 is interposed between flywheel I38 and collar 16. The washers 18 and 19 are made of any suitable friction material, such as cork. Flywheel I38 is free to rotate on shaft 2| and is driven therefrom through the washers 18 and 19, which constitute a torque-limiting device. Pressure on the washers 18 and 19 is provided by a lever 11 connected by a spring 15 to the operating lever I8 of clutch I1. The arrangement is such that when clutch I1 is engaged, the pressure on washers I8 and 19 is less than when clutch I 1 is not engaged. The amount of torque transmittable by the torque-limiting device is therefore less in high gear than it is in a lower gear.

In order to prevent the flywheel I38 from over-running the shaft 2| due to its inertia, or in other words, to make the flywheel I38 slow down in speed when the speed of shaft 2| suddenly decreases, a pawl 8| is provided to engage the teeth on ratchet wheel 80. As shown in Fig. 3, pawl 8| is pivotally mounted on a pin 83 securely fastened to flywheel I38. A spring 82 attached at one end to flywheel I38 by a pin 81 insures that the pawl 8| will maintain engagement with the ratchet teeth. At any time that flywheel I38 should tend to rotate faster than shaft 2|, such as would occur if the speed of shaft 2| suddenly decreased, the engagement of pawl 8| with one of the teeth on ratchet 80 causes flywheel 38 to slow down as quickly as shaft 2|.

In operation, the embodiment of Fig. 2 is similar in many respects to the embodiment of Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, control member 53 is driven from shaft 2| through the torque-limiting device consisting ofcollar .16, friction washer 18, and the hub of flywheel I38. The normal speed of control member 53 is therefore the same as the speed of the intermediate shaft 2|. The threaded sleeve 84 is driven from the output shaft 5| through gears I36, I34, I59, and I31 at a speed which is normally slightly greater than the speed of output shaft 5|. Hence the difference between embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2 is that in Fig. 2 the gears that produce a speed ratio slightly different from unity are interposed between output shaft 5| and threads I52 whereas in F 1 these gears are interposed between intermediate shaft 2| and control member '53. It is obvious A friction washer 19 is interposed between that the effect of gearing one of the screw members (sleeve 84 of Fig. 2) upward from the output shaft -I is the same as scaring the cooperating screw member (control member 53 of FIG. 1) downward from intermediate shaft 2I. Hence insofar as the operation has been discussed so far, the operation of the embodiment of Fig. 2 is the same as that of Fig. 1. However, Fig. 2 illustrates three additional useful modifications, as follows.

First, the torque-limiting device between shaft 2I and flywheel I38 is made adjustable in accordance with the position of the clutch opera ing lever I8 used in selecting high gear in gear box I01. .When lever I8 is moved to engage clutch ll, the tension of spring I5 is decreased, thereby reducing the pressure on the friction washers I8 and 19. The amount of torque which may then be transmitted from shaft 2| to f ywheel I38 is reduced so that the rate of engagement of clutch 42 is reduced when the gear box I01. is in high gear. This results in smoother operation at high speeds when the system is used in a vehicle,.for example.

Second, the ratchet 80 and pawl 8|, comprising a one-way clutch, insures that the flywheel I38 cannot run faster than shaft 2|, as might otherwise occur when the speed of shaft 2I is reduced very abruptly. This feature is desirable r to prevent the over-running of flywheel I38 causing clutch 42.to become engaged with excessive pressures.

Third, in connection with the discussion of Fig. 1, it was explained that free-wheeling of clutch 65 occurs automatically when shaft 5I is overdriven by the load itself. Though free-wheeling is sometimes desirable, there are times when,

and 5 illustrating a third embodiment of my invention. The clutch 42 is the same as the correspondingly numbered clutches in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The gear box is not shown in Fig. 4 but it will be understood that only the clutch portion of the transmission system differs from Figs. 1 and 2.

Engagement of clutch 42 is controlled by a clutch control disc I03 which engages the output shaft 5I by means of threads I04 cut internally in disc I03 and cooperating threads I05 out externally on shaft 5!. The direction of threads I04 and I05 is such that if disc I03 rotates faster than shaft 5|, disc I03 will be screwed toward clutch 42, bearing against the free ends of levers 50, causing them to increase the engagement of clutch 42. Similarly, if disc I03 rotates-slower than shaft 5|, disc'l63 will be screwed away from clutch 42, thus decreasing the engagement. A collar I06 fastened to shaft 5! limits the axial movement'of disc I03 with'respect to shaft 5I..

Control disc I03 is driven frictionally by a roller 99 fastened to and supported by an auxiliary shaft 98. To the other end of shaft 98 is fastened another roller 95 having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of roller-99. Roller 95 is frictionally driven by a disc 90 rotatably mounted on shaft 2I and driven thereby through a friction clutch assembly consisting of two collars 92 and 93 securely fastened to shaft 2|, a steel washer 89, and compressible washers 9| of suitable friction material. Pressure on the friction material 9| may be adjusted by means of screws 94 in collar 93 pressing against steel washer-89. Since roller 95 is slightly larger than roller. 99, disc I03 tends to run slightly slower than disc 90.

Fastened to and supported by shaft 98 is a flywheel I00 which'is provided with a friction brake consisting of a brake shoe IOI supported by a shaft II'0. A lever I02 secured to shaft IIO provides a means of applying brake pressure to the flywheel I00. Shaft 98 is supported in anti-friction bearings 96 at the end of a, flat leaf spring I09 which is supported at its other end on some suitable portion 91 of the clutch housing by bolts I08 as shown in detail in Fig. 5. The purpose of spring I09 is to apply sufficient pressure to obtain substantially positive drive between roller 95 and disc and between roller 99 and disc I03.

The operation of the embodiment of Fig. 4 is the same as that of Fig. 1 except that in Fig. 4 the speed ratio slightly different from unity is produced by means of friction discs and rollers instead of gears. The flywheel I00 is operatively connected with disc I03 through a drive means such that the flywheel runs at a considerably higher speed. This allows a much smaller flywheel to be used since the kinetic energy of a flywheel is proportional to the square of its speed.

The embodiment of Fig. 4 has improved operation for certain applications due to the brake It by which the speed of control disc I 03 can be further controlled. For example when the clutch is applied to a motor vehicle, the manual application of the brake I0l retards the engagement of the clutch 42 to permit finer control of the vehicle speed, as for instance in parking or backing out of a garage. Since the brake IOI is required to control only the small amount of power for driving the pilot member (disc I03), very much less manual effort is required than to operate the clutch directly by manual means as is done in present commercial automobiles.

In the description of the mechanism of Fig. 1, it was pointed out that if output shaft 51 is slower than control member 53, the differential or net effect will be to further engage clutch 42. It is further true that if output shaft 5| is faster than control member 53, the effect will be to disengage clutch 42. From this it can be seen that the screw has algebraically added the effects of two separate motions to produce a third motion proportional to the algebraic sum of the two motions. This ability to combine or add up two motions is better known in connection with the gear type differential such as used in the rear-end drive of motor .vehicles. The screw structure shown nevertheless has true differential action for a limited range of displacement. In applying my invention, any suitable type of differential mechanism could be used, but the screw type shown has some practical advantages.

For convenience, the description of my invention has been made in connection with a clutch of the friction type. It is of course evident that my invention resides primarily in a control for a clutch rather than in the clutch itself.

All of the embodiments of my invention have an inherent stabilizing effect which tends to reduce or prevent the chattering and grabbing which sometimes occurs in simple mechanical clutches. This stability is due to the fact that when a condition of extra high friction between the friction plates occurs momentarily and accelerates the output shaft excessively, the resulting increased rotation of the output shaft immediately reduces the plate pressure;

Although but a few embodiments of my invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to obtain by United,

States Letters Patent:

1. Automatic means for controlling the resistance to slipping of a rotary power-transmitting unit, said power-transmitting unit having an input member, an output member, and a movable member for adjusting said resistance, said automatic means comprising a first rotatable memher, a second rotatable member, difl'erentiallyacting means for coupling said two rotatable members and said movable member whereby the effects of rotation of said rotatable members in certain senses are algebraicly additive to increase said resistance and whereby the eilects of rotation of said two rotatable members in senses oppositesaid certain senses are algebraicly additive to decrease said resistance, means for driving said first rotatable member in accordance with said output member in a sense tending to decrease said resistance, a flywheel operatively associated with said second rotatable member, and auxiliary slippable drive means for driving said second rotatable member from said input member in a sense tending to increase said resistance so that extremely high accelerations of said input member cause relatively low accelerations of said second rotatable member due to the slipping of said slippable drive means and the inertia of said flywheel, said auxiliary slippable drive means having a drive ratio so that when said input member has negligible acceleration for a relatively long interval of time the speed of said second rotatable member becomes such as to cancel the resistance-decreasing effect of rotation of said first rotatable member for a certain extremely small magnitude of slip of said rotary power-transmitting unit greater than zero.

2. The invention of claim 1 characterized in that means is provided for altering the resistance to slipping of said auxiliary slippable drive means in'order to further control the acceleration of said second rotatable member,

3. The invention of claim 1 characterized in that additional control means is provided for causing the resistance to slipping of said rotary power-transmitting unit to'become very large for any relative speed of rotation of said input member and said output member.

4. The invention of claim 1 characterized in that one-way clutch means is operatively interposed between said second rotatable member and a said input shaft to de-celerate said second rotatable member quickly when said input shaft de-celerates quickly.

5. The invention of claim 1 characterized in that said diiferentially-acting means is a screw and nut device whereby relative axial motion of said screw and nut in response to relative rotation of said screw and nut causes movement of said movable member for adjusting said resistshoe.

6. Automatic means for controlling the resistance to slipping of a. rotary power-transmitting unit, said unit having an input shaft and an output shaft and a movable member for adjusting said resistance, said automatic means comprising a first screw means concentric with said output shaft and driven thereby, a second screw means engaging said first screw means whereby relative rotation of said two screw I means causes relative axial motion of said two screw means, coupling means for moving said movable member in response to said relative axial motions, and means for variably driving said second screw means from said input shaft.

7. The invention of claim 6 characterized in that said means for variably driving said second means engaging said first screw means whereby relative rotation of said two screw means causes relative axial motion of said two screw means, coupling means for moving said movable member in response to said relative axial motion, and means for driving said second screw means from the other of said shafts.

9. Automatic means for controlling the resistance to slipping of a rotary power-transmitting unit in accordance with a piloting member rotatable at an independently controllable speed, said unit comprising an input member, an output member for driving a load, and a movable member for adjusting said resistance, said automatic means comprising a differentially-acting control means for coupling said output member and said piloting member to said movable member whereby the effects of rotation of said output member and of rotation of said piloting member are algebraicly additive to change said resistance, the normal rotation of said output member when driven by said resistance being such as to decrease said resistance and the normal rotation of said piloting member being such as to increase said resistance, whereby said resistance to slipping is continually adjusted so that said output member is caused to rotate in accordance with said piloting member.

10. The invention of claim 9 characterized inthat said piloting member is driven from said input member through a shock-absorbing filter.

11. ,In an automatic friction clutch having an input shaft and an output shaft, a control member rotatable about said output shaft and adapted to control the engagement of said clutch, internal threads within a portion of said member, external threads on a. portion of said output, shaft, said internal and external threads cooperating to move said member along. said output shaft to increase the engagement of said clutchwhen the rotative speed of said member is greater than the speed of said output shaft and to decrease the engagement of said ,clutch when the speed of said member is less than the speed of said output shaft, drive means for drivme said member from said input shaft at a speed normally slightly less tlmn the speed of said input shaft, 8. flywheel associated with said control member to increase the inertia thereof, and a torque-limiting device associated with said drive means and operative in conjunction with said flywheel to limit the acceleration of said member and consequently to limit the rate of engagement of said clutch.

12. In an automatic friction clutch having an clutch when the rotative speed of said member is greater than the speed of said output shaft and whereby said member decreases the engagement of said clutch when the rotative speed of said member is less than the speed of said output shaft, drive means for driving said member from said input shaft at a speed normally slightly less than the speed of said shaft, torquelimiting means associated with said drive means, and an inertia device associated with said member and operative in conjunction with said torque-limiting means to limit the acceleration of said member and consequently to limit the rate of engagement of said clutch when the speed of said input shaft is changed.

13. In an automatic friction clutch having an input shaft and an output shaft, a control member adapted to control the engagement of said clutch, internal threads within a portion of said control member, an intermediate member rotatably supported on said output shaft between said control member and said shaft, external threads on a portion of said intermediate member, said internal and external threads cooperating to move one of said members along said output shaft to increase the engagement of said clutch when the rotative speed of said control member is greater than the speed of said intermediate member and to decrease the engagement of said clutch when the speed of said control member is less than the speed of said intermediate member, a first drive means for driving said intermediate member from said output shaft at a speed normally slightly greater than the speed of said shaft, a second drive means for driving said control member from said input shaft, a flywheel associated with said control member to increase the effective inertia thereof, and a torque-limiting means associated with said second drive means and operative in conjunction with said flywheel to limit the acceleration of said control member and consequently to limit the rate of engagement of said clutch.

14. In an automatic friction clutch having an input shaft and an output shaft, a control member rotatable about said output shaft and adapted to control the engagement of said clutch, internal threads within a portion of said member, ex-

' temal threads on a portion of said output shaft,

said internal and external threads cooperating to move said member along said output shaft to increase the engagement of said clutch when the rotative speed of said member is greater than the speed of said output shaft and to decrease the engagement of said clutch when the rotative speed of said member is less than the speed of said output shaft, an auxiliary shaft, means for driving said member from said auxiliary shaft at a first speed ratio, means for driving said auxiliary shaft from said input shaft at a second speed ratio, said speed ratios being such that the rotative speed of said member is normally slight- 1y less than the speed of said input shaft, a fly wheel associated with said auxiliary shaft, and torque-limiting means interposed between said input shaft and said flywheel and operative in conjunction with said flywheel to limit the acceleration of said member and consequently to limit the rate of engagement of said clutch.

15. In an automatic friction clutch having an input shaft and an output shaft, a control member rotatable about said output shaft and adapted to control the engagement of said clutch, an intermediate member rotatably supported on said output shaft between said control member and said shaft, differential means interposed between said control member and said intermediate member whereby said control member increases the engagement of said clutch when the rotative speed of said control member is greater than the speed of said intermediate member and whereby said control member decreases the engagement of said clutch when the rotative speed of said control member is less than the speed of said intermediate member, a first drive means for driving said intermediate member from said output shaft at a speed normally slightly greater than the speed of said shaft, a second drive means for driving said control member from said input shaft, torquelimiting means associated with said second drive means, and an inertia device associated with said torque-limiting means to limit the acceleration of said control member and consequently to limit the rate of engagement of said clutch when the speed of said input shaft is changed.

16. In a rotary power clutch having a first clutch member, a second clutch member, and a clutch engaging member adapted to engage and disengage said clutch members to vary the driving connection therebetween, a pilot member, means for driving said pilot member from said first clutch member, said means including a torque-limiting device and an inertia device for limiting the acceleration of said pilot member when the speed of said first clutch member changes abruptly, and a three-element differential means ,operatively interposed between said pilot member, said second clutch member, and said clutch engaging member, whereby the driving connection between said clutch members is varied in accordance with the algebraic sum of the rotation of said second clutch member and of said pilot member.

17. In a power transmission system, an input shaft, an intermediate shaft, an output shaft, a variable speed transmission interposed between said input shaft and said intermediate shaft, an automatic friction clutch interposed between said intermediate shaft and said output shaft, a control member rotatably mounted on said output shaft and adapted to control the engagement of said clutch, differential means interposed between said control member and said output shaft whereby said control member increases the engagement of said clutch when the rotative speed of said member is greater than the speed of said shaft, driving means for driving said control member from said intermediate shaft at a speed ratio which is normally slightly less than unity, and an inertia device associated with said control member and operative in conjunction with said torque-limiting means to limit the acceleration of said control member and consequently to limit the rate of engagement of said clutch when the speed of said input shaft is changed.

ALDA V. BEDFORD. 

